Most hydrocolloid comparisons on the internet stop at agar, xanthan and carrageenan. Those three are the ones consumers have heard of, but they are not the ones a formulator usually chooses between. Here is the wider field.
The comparison table
| Gum | Origin | How it sets | Typical texture | Cost position | Best at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gellan gum (LA) | Fermentation | Cations, on cooling | Firm, brittle, heat-stable | High | Suspension at very low dose; firm gels |
| Gellan gum (HA) | Fermentation | Cations, on cooling | Soft, elastic, thermally reversible | High | Soft elastic gels, mouth-melt |
| Guar gum | Plant (guar bean) | Does not gel alone | Viscous, slimy | Low | Cheap viscosity in cold systems |
| Locust bean gum | Plant (carob) | Needs heating; synergistic with xanthan | Elastic, cohesive | Medium | Making gels elastic rather than brittle |
| CMC | Cellulose, chemically modified | Does not gel | Viscous, clean | Low | Cheap viscosity; freeze-thaw tolerance |
| Modified starch | Starch, chemically modified | Gelatinisation on heating | Pasty, opaque body | Low | Body and freeze-thaw stability at low cost |
| Xanthan gum | Fermentation | Does not gel alone | Highly shear-thinning, cohesive | Low–medium | Viscosity and yield stress at low shear |
| Agar | Plant (seaweed) | On cooling, no ions needed | Firm, brittle, high melting | Medium | Vegetarian firm gels; lab media |
| Carrageenan | Plant (seaweed) | Potassium or calcium, on cooling | Elastic (kappa), soft (iota) | Medium | Dairy and meat systems |
| Konjac glucomannan | Plant (konjac tuber) | Alkali-set elastic gels | Very viscous, gummy | Medium | High viscosity per unit weight |
| Pectin (LM) | Plant (citrus, apple) | Calcium | Soft, spreadable | Medium–high | Fruit preparations, jams |
The four that are most often confused with gellan gum
Guar gum is the cheapest way to add viscosity and the wrong answer to most gellan gum problems. It does not gel, it gives a slimy mouthfeel at higher doses, and it is readily fermented in the gut — which means gas and bloating complaints at doses high enough to be functional. It is also the hydrocolloid most often blamed when gellan gum is blamed. If a product lists both, and a consumer has a digestive reaction, guar is the more likely cause.
CMC is a workhorse viscosity builder with good freeze-thaw tolerance and a clean flavour. Where it loses to gellan gum is yield stress: CMC thickens, it does not hold particles still. For a pulpy juice you can add CMC until the drink is thick and unpleasant and still watch the pulp settle. Gellan gum solves that at 0.03 %.
Modified starch is the cheapest way to add body and the reason many plant-based milks feel starchy. Starch also has a genuine advantage gellan gum does not: excellent freeze-thaw stability. In a frozen dessert, starch manages ice crystal growth in a way gellan gum alone will not. The two are often used together for exactly that reason — starch for body and stability, gellan for suspension and a clean mouthfeel.
Locust bean gum is not a substitute for gellan gum; it is a texture modifier for it. LBG is the standard tool for making a brittle LA gellan gel more elastic and cohesive, typically in combination with xanthan gum. If your gel is fracturing when cut and you want it to bend rather than break, LBG is the ingredient to trial.
A decision shortcut
| If you need… | Start with… |
|---|---|
| Suspension in a thin liquid, at minimum dose | LA gellan gum |
| A firm gel that survives heat treatment | LA gellan gum |
| A soft gel that melts in the mouth | HA gellan gum, or gelatin |
| Cheap viscosity in a cold mix | Guar gum or CMC |
| Body and freeze-thaw stability at low cost | Modified starch |
| Viscosity at rest that thins when pumped | Xanthan gum |
| A vegetarian firm gel with no ions needed | Agar |
| Elasticity in a gel | Locust bean gum, or HA gellan |
| A dairy-compatible elastic gel | Carrageenan |
Two things the table does not tell you
Cost per kilogram is not cost in use. Gellan gum looks expensive on a price list and often turns out to be the cheapest option per unit of finished product, because it works at 0.02–0.05 % where guar gum might need 0.3 %. Always compare at equal function, not equal weight.
Substitution is never one-for-one. Moving between these gums changes the ion requirements, the process temperature window, the pH sensitivity and the mouthfeel all at once. Any substitution needs development work, not just a recipe edit.
For specification data across food-grade gellan gum (E418) grades and recommendations for your application, contact Cinogel.
Part of the E418.org gellan gum knowledge base. See also: gellan gum vs agar, gellan gum vs xanthan gum, and gellan gum vs carrageenan.